Farmers see record yields in cotton, soybeans and peanuts in 2012

Published: Monday, December 10, 2012 at 5:59 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, December 10, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

Alabama’s record yields in cotton, soybean and peanut crops in 2012 helped to offset lower than average corn yields, according to state agriculture officials.

Soybean and cotton yields in Northeast Alabama also likely set records this year, according to David Derrick, regional extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.

“For the row crop farmer, it’s been one of the best years ever,” Derrick said. “It’s one of the best I can remember.”

Farmers benefited from higher than average prices for corn and soybeans, officials said.

Bill Weaver, director of the Alabama office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistic Service, said drought conditions in the Midwest helped push soybean and corn prices higher.

“The people who had a lot of soybeans really made out well,” Weaver said, “because they not only had good yields, they had good prices and that’s unusual.”

Alabama’s projected soybean yield is 44 bushels an acre, breaking the record of 40 set in 2009.

Derrick said local farmers “did that and possibly more,” with many having yields of 50 bushels or more an acre.

The projected statewide cotton yield of 840 pounds an acre shattered the record of 795 set in 1985, according to Weaver.

“In terms of production, it looks like it’s going to be one of the best years we’ve had,” he said. “People had really, really good cotton production. It’s not uncommon that they had two-bale cotton out there ... .”

A bale of cotton is 500 pounds.

Cotton is more heat tolerable than other crops, Weaver said, which helped during the drought in June. He said the cotton yields should offset lower than average cotton prices.

Derrick said cotton yields locally would be above the state average.

“I think we made the best crop ever in this area in cotton,” he said, noting that some fields had yields of three bales an acre.

The projected statewide peanut yield of 3,600 pounds an acre also set a record, benefiting according to Weaver from the same good weather that boosted the soybean crop.

Weaver said he couldn’t recall records being set in three crops in the same year.

The bleak spot was a corn yield of 105 bushels an acre, down from 114 in 2011, even though corn prices were up.

Weaver said much of the corn crop didn’t recover from the June drought, while cotton and soybeans had ideal late summer and fall growing seasons.

“A lot of fields were just devastated by that drought,” he said.

Derrick said local corn yields probably trailed the state average, some by as much as 30 bushels an acre. “It varies a lot from one location to another,” he said. “You don’t have to go very far for it to make a lot of difference.”

He said a farmer told him one field had yielded 160 bushels an acre, while another eight miles away yielded just 60.

Even with higher commodity prices, Derrick said, fertilizer, fuel and other costs to farmers will be higher.

More acreage in Etowah and Cherokee counties was planted in cotton, Derrick said, while acreage on Sand Mountain was split between corn and soybeans.

He expects more corn and soybeans to be planted locally next year because of the prices.

<p>Alabama's record yields in cotton, soybean and peanut crops in 2012 helped to offset lower than average corn yields, according to state agriculture officials.</p><p>Soybean and cotton yields in Northeast Alabama also likely set records this year, according to David Derrick, regional extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.</p><p>“For the row crop farmer, it's been one of the best years ever,” Derrick said. “It's one of the best I can remember.”</p><p>Farmers benefited from higher than average prices for corn and soybeans, officials said.</p><p>Bill Weaver, director of the Alabama office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistic Service, said drought conditions in the Midwest helped push soybean and corn prices higher.</p><p>“The people who had a lot of soybeans really made out well,” Weaver said, “because they not only had good yields, they had good prices and that's unusual.”</p><p>Alabama's projected soybean yield is 44 bushels an acre, breaking the record of 40 set in 2009.</p><p>Derrick said local farmers “did that and possibly more,” with many having yields of 50 bushels or more an acre.</p><p>The projected statewide cotton yield of 840 pounds an acre shattered the record of 795 set in 1985, according to Weaver.</p><p>“In terms of production, it looks like it's going to be one of the best years we've had,” he said. “People had really, really good cotton production. It's not uncommon that they had two-bale cotton out there ... .”</p><p>A bale of cotton is 500 pounds.</p><p>Cotton is more heat tolerable than other crops, Weaver said, which helped during the drought in June. He said the cotton yields should offset lower than average cotton prices.</p><p>Derrick said cotton yields locally would be above the state average.</p><p>“I think we made the best crop ever in this area in cotton,” he said, noting that some fields had yields of three bales an acre.</p><p>The projected statewide peanut yield of 3,600 pounds an acre also set a record, benefiting according to Weaver from the same good weather that boosted the soybean crop.</p><p>Weaver said he couldn't recall records being set in three crops in the same year.</p><p>The bleak spot was a corn yield of 105 bushels an acre, down from 114 in 2011, even though corn prices were up.</p><p>Weaver said much of the corn crop didn't recover from the June drought, while cotton and soybeans had ideal late summer and fall growing seasons.</p><p>“A lot of fields were just devastated by that drought,” he said.</p><p>Derrick said local corn yields probably trailed the state average, some by as much as 30 bushels an acre. “It varies a lot from one location to another,” he said. “You don't have to go very far for it to make a lot of difference.”</p><p>He said a farmer told him one field had yielded 160 bushels an acre, while another eight miles away yielded just 60.</p><p>Even with higher commodity prices, Derrick said, fertilizer, fuel and other costs to farmers will be higher.</p><p>More acreage in Etowah and Cherokee counties was planted in cotton, Derrick said, while acreage on Sand Mountain was split between corn and soybeans.</p><p>He expects more corn and soybeans to be planted locally next year because of the prices.</p>